Conveyer control mechanism



Nov. 20, 1951 Filed Nov. 17, 1949 1. L. wu c oX CONVEYER CONTROL MECHANISM r 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Jule J. [Vac eoX 1. L. WILCOX CONVEYER CONTROL MECHANISM Nov. 20, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 17, 1949 INVENTOR. A2440 4. @215 max Nov. 20, 1951 1. L. WILCOX 2,576,087

CONVEYER CONTROL MECHANISM Filed Nov. 17. 1949 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I Nov. 20, 1951 l. WILCOX 2,576,087

CONVEYER CONTROL MECHANISM 4 Shets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 17, 1949 Patented Nov. 20, -1951 CONVEYER CONTROL MECHANISM Isaac L. Wilcox, Fulton, N. Y., assignor to Oswego Falls Corporation, Fulton, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 17, 1949-, Serial No. 127,930

7 Qlaims. (Cl. 198-37) This invention has to do with mechanism for controlling the operation of a conveyor operable to convey, or advance, a procession of articles from a loading station to an unloading station, and more particularly to a mechanism for stopping, or unclutching, the conveyor from the actuating means when an article is present on the conveyor at the unloading station.

The invention has as an object a mechanism of the type referred to embodying a particularly simple and eflicient structure operable to disconnect, or unclutch, a conveyor from the conveyor driving means when and while an article of extremely light weight, and formed of frangible or crushable material, is present at the unloading station.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a conveyor equipped with control mechanism embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure disclosed in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view taken on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 44, Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a View taken on a plane corresponding to line 55, Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a view taken on a plane corresponding to line 6-6, Figure 3.

Figure '7 is a View taken on a plane corresponding to line l'i, Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a view, corresponding to Figure 5, showing the driving member of the clutch ad- Vanced and the clutch control member positioned out of engagement with the clutching member of the clutch.

Figure 9 is a view, similar to Figure 8, illustrating the control member positioned in engagement with the clutch member.

The conveyor structure disclosed consists of a pair of angle iron members I extending in spaced apart parallel relationship and secured together at spaced intervals by tie bolts H. The angle members ID are supported adjacent their outer ends by a bracket l2 mounted on a supporting column [3. At their inner ends, the angle members 10 are mounted upon pads I4 formed integral with a casting bracket I attached to a main supporting column [6. The casting I5 is formed with spaced apart bosses l1 apertured to form bearings for a shaft I8, see Figure 3. A sprocket wheel 19 is fixed to the shaft I8 between the bearings 11, and a shaft 20 is journalled in bearings 2| secured to the under surface of the laterally extending sides of the angle members l0 adjacent the outer ends thereof. The shaft 20 extends parallel to the shaft I8 and is provided with a sprocket 22. A conveyor chain 23 is trained over the sprockets I9, 22, with the upper run of the chain movable between the confronting sides of the angle members Ill, see Figure 2, and is provided at spaced intervals with pusher members 24.

The conveyor shown in the drawings forms part of the structure of a machine for dispensing light paper cups indicated in dotted outline at "26, Figures 1 and 2, the cups being automatically dispensed from a holder 21 mounted above the loading station at the inner end of the conveyor by mechanism not shown. The conveyor is actuated by a suitable source of power, such as an electric motor, through a chain 30 trained over a sprocket 3| which is fixedly secured to a hub member 32, as by screws 33.

The hub member 32 is formed with a central aperture in which is arranged a bearing bushing 34 rotatably mounted upon an elongated hub portion 35 formed integral with a cam 36 fixedly secured to the shaft I8 as by a key 31. The hub member 32, which forms the driving element of the clutch, is retained on the hub 35 by a washer 38 and a screw 39 threading into the end of the shaft [8.

The hub driving member 32 is formed with an aperture extending parallel to the shaft l8 and in which is slidably mounted a clutch member 40, the major portion of which is: of cylindrical formation apertured at one end to receive a compression spring 42. This end of the clutch member 40 is formed with an enlarged radial head portion 43, opposite sides of which are beveled as at 45, see Figure 2, with the apex of the bevel portion facing the cam 36.

The inner faceof the driving hub 32 is formed with a circular recess into which extends the head portion 48 of a pin 49 carried by the cam member 36. The inner end of the clutch member 40 also extends into this recess and is yieldingly urged inwardly by the spring 42, whereby it engages the head 48 of pin 49 whereby the cam member 36 becomes the driven member of the clutch and rotation is imparted from the constantly rotating sprocket 3| to the shaft l8, whereby the conthe clutch which is brought about by urging the member 50' outwardly against the action of the spring 12 so that the inner end of the member no longer engages the head of the pin 49, whereupon the conveyor stops.

This control member consists of a plate attached to the head portion 52 of a bracket 53 pivotally mounted at its lower end toa bracket. 54 depending from the angle members Hi. The bracket 53 is pivotally mountedupon a screw 55. The lower end of the plate 5| is of arcuate for.-

mation and is arranged in register with a circumferentially extending groove 55 formed in'thei driving member 32 and the edges of this arcuate shaped end portion are beveled as at 51. -When the lower end of the plate 5| is positioned in the groove 55, it will engage the enlarged head portion 43 of the clutch member and wedge the same outwardly against the action of spring 42 so that the inner end of the member does not engage the pin 49.

The bracket 53 is connected to a probe or detector element 58 by a link 59. The ends of the link 59 are 'pivotally connected to the bracket 53 and the detector 58, which is in the form of an angle lever, pivotally mounted to the conveyor as at 6|], with the long arm 5| movable about the pivot 65 over the conveyor into and out of engagement with an article or cup positioned at the discharge station 55. The bracket 53 is oscillated about the pivot 55 by a cam lobe 5t adjustably mountedon the hub member 32, as by screws 55, the cam lobe being formed with elongated slots 66 to permit circumferential adjustment of the cam member on the hub member 32. The enlarged head portion 52 of bracket 53 is apertured to slidably receive a plunger 5'7 having a stem 58 encircled by a compression spring ll] urging the plunger outwardly, the outward movement being limited and adjustable by nuts ll threaded on the opposite end of the stem 58. The

plunger 61 is positioned to be engaged by the cam lobe 54. The arrangement is such that the plunger 6! is engaged by the cam lobe 64 prior to the time the head portion Q3 of the clutch member would be engaged by the lower end of the control member 5|. As the bracket 53 is oscillated in a clockwise direction, Figures 8 and 9, by the cam lobe 64, the detector arm 5| is moved inwardly over the conveyor.

It will be apparent that the cam lobe 54' is moved in timed relation with the movement of the conveyor and the arrangement and adjustment of the cam lobe is such that when the cam lobe engages the plunger Bl, an article or cup has arrived at the discharge station 55. Accordingly, inward movement of the detector arm 5| will be restrained by engagement with the cup, and bracket 53 will not be oscillated in a clockwise direction and the clutch control plate 5| will remain in the groove 56 while the plunger iil'is moved outwardly against the compression spring 15. The inclined wedge surface 5? of the control plate 5| will therefore wedge the clutch member charge station 50, the camlobe 64 will, through spring 10, efiect a clockwise movement of the bracket 53, raising the control plate 5| radially outwardly from the axis of the driving member 32, so that the clutch member will not be engaged by the control plate and the conveyor will continue to function. In other words, the conveyor continues to function until an article has been advanced to the discharge station which means that the conveyor between the loading and unloading stations is filled with articles.

The plunger 61 is yieldingly maintained in engagement with, or in position to be engaged by, the cam lobe 64 by a tension spring 75 secured at one end to the link 59 and at its opposite end to one of the brackets 16 mounted on the angle members H] and which carry guide members 17 for guiding the cups during their advancement by the conveyor.

If a cup at the'discharge station is removed from the conveyor, the probe or detector 5| will not be restrained upon the next actuation of bracket 53 by the cam lobe 64,. and the clutch member will be permitted to engage the pin 49, effecting motion of the conveyor.

As previously stated, the timing of this mech anism is such that the probe 6| is moved inwardly when a cup has been advanced to the discharge station. Accordingly, there is no interference to the advancement of the cup. During the advancement of the cups by the conveyor, they are advanced between the guide bars H. During this advancement, due to their extremely light weight, they would not be efiective in operating clutch control mechanisms. However, after the cup is positioned at the discharge station, its

resistance to radial crushing force is substantial,

especially adjacent the bottom of the cup where it is engaged by the detector, and this resistance is entirely suificient, through the linkage de-,

scribed, to compress the spring in and maintain the control member 5| in position to disengage the clutch and the conveyor is thus stopped with a procession of cups thereon spaced in an arrangement determined by the pusher members 24 on the conveyor chain. we

What I claim is:

1. A conveyor operable to advance a procession of articles from a loading to an unloading station, power operated means for actuating the conveyor, a normally engaged clutch operatively connecting said actuating means to the conveyor, a detector member arranged at said unloading station'and' being movable into and out of engagement with an article on the conveyor at said station, a cam member associated with said actuating. means, motion transmitting means operated by said cam in timed relation to the movement of the conveyor for yieldingly moving said detector into and out of engagement with an article on the conveyor, and means cooperable with said detector during engagement thereof with an article on the conveyor to disengagesaid clutch. V

2. A conveyor operable to advance a procession of articles from a loading to an unloading station, power operated means for actuating the conveyor, a clutch interposed between the conveyor and said actuating means and having a clutch member normally shifted into clutching engagementto operatively connect said conveyor and actuating means, a control member movable into and out of engagement with said clutch member and being operable when moved into engagement therewith to shift said member out of clutching engagement, means operable to yieldingly hold said control member out of en gagement with said clutch member, a detector element arranged at said unloading station and being operable upon engagement by an article on the conveyor at said unloading station to move said control member into engagement with said clutch member.

3. A conveyor operable to advance a procession of articles from a loading to an unloading station, power operated means for actuating the conveyor, a normally engaged clutch operatively connecting said actuating means to said conveyor, a detector member arranged at said unloading station for movement into and out of engagement with an article on the conveyor at said station, means operated by said actuating means for moving said detector in timed rela tion to the advancement of the conveyor into engagement with an article advanced by said conveyor to said unloading station, and means cooperable upon engagement of said detector with an article on the conveyor to disengage the clutch.

4. A conveyor operable to advance a procession of articles from a loading to an unloading station, power operated means for actuating the conveyor, a normally engaged clutch operatively connecting said actuating means to the conveyor, a detector member arranged at said unloading station, a cam operable to move said detector transversely of the conveyor into engagement with an article at the unloading station, and means cooperable upon said detector engaging an article on the conveyor to disengage said clutch.

5. A conveyor operable to advance a procession of articles from a loading to an unloading station, power operated means for actuating the conveyor including a clutch having a. driving member, a driven member and a clutch member normally connecting said driving and driven members, a clutch control member normally positioned in the path of rotation of said clutch member and being operable upon engagement therewith to move the same out of engagement with the driven member, a cam rotatable with said driving member being operable to shift said control member out of said path, a detector member arranged at said unloading station, motion transmitting means connecting said clutch control member with said detector and being cooperable upon said detector engaging an article on the conveyor to maintain said clutch control member in the path of rotation of said clutch member.

6. A conveyor operable to advance a procession of articles from a loading to an unloading station, power operated means for actuating the conveyor including a driving clutch section and a driven clutch section, a clutch member carried by said driving section and normally engaging said driven member to effect operation of the conveyor, a clutch control member, means yieldingly urging said clutch control member into engagement with said clutch member and said control member being operable upon such engagement to shift said clutch member out of engagement with said driven clutch section, an article detector arranged at the unloading station, a cam rotatable with said driving clutch section and being operable to yieldingly urge said clutch control member out of engagement with said clutch member and to move said detector transversely of the conveyor into engagement with an article on the conveyor at said unloading station, and said detector being cooperable upon engagement with an article on the conveyor at said unloading station to position said control member in position to be engaged by said clutch member.

7. A conveyor operable to advance a procession of articles from a loading to an unloading station, power operated means for actuating said conveyor including a clutch having a shiftable member normally arranged in clutching position, a clutch control member normally positioned to be engaged by said shiftable member once during each revolution of said clutch and being operable upon such engagement to shift said shiftable member out of clutching position, a cam rotatable with the clutch and operable to yieldingly move said'control member out of normal position, an article detector arranged at the unloading station and being moved transversely of the conveyor into engagement with an article positioned on the conveyor at said unloading station, such movement being simultaneously with the movement of said control member, and said detector being cooperable upon engagement with an article on the conveyor to restrain movement of the clutch control member out of normal position.

ISAAC L. WILCOX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 881,839 Appel Mar. 10, 1908 1,068,323 Clarke July 22, 1913 1,355,488 McKenney Oct. 12, 1920 2,124,219 Wheeler July 19, 1938 

